Think running a marathon is hard? Try running about four of them. In a row. With your eyes closed.
That's basically what Simon Wheatcroft is doing Friday in England, according to Wired's Playbook blog.
Wheatcroft is legally blind, due to a disease called retinitis pigmentosa. The Foundation Fighting Blindness says that it is an inherited disease in which photoreceptor cells at the back of the retina slowly die, eventually resulting in legal blindness at around age 40.
Over the last few months, Wheatcroft has been updating the world about his progress preparing for the race on Wired.com and through social media. His Twitter account (@moochoo) contains over 7,000 Tweets detailing his preparation, full of breakfast menus and conversations with fans. He even has a hashtag (#blind100) that allows him to track his conversation with fans while on the go.
Not to mention that the race itself, the Cotswold 100, is no cakewalk. Participants must finish the race in under 30 hours, and the course ranges throughout the hilly British countryside. Its version of Heartbreak Hill comes late in the race as well: mile 80.
You can track Wheatcroft's progress over the course of the race here.
